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Wednesday, May 17, 2017

In the Land of the Empire State

Do you all remember a few weeks back when I said that I was going to post about my trip to New York?

"Life has been pretty crazy around here lately, but I fully intend to get in at least one post
about New York while I'm here. One. I have so many ideas floating
around in my head right now I just need to find a few minutes to write
them down! Please, bear with me, I think you'll like them :)"~April 26, 2017, Introducing.....(Yes, I copy and pasted my exact words. I strive for consistency despite lack of productivity.)

Anyway, clearly that is a promise I have not yet fulfilled, and I do so dislike broken promises. So here we are. This is my collection of adventures, misadventures, and observances concerning the grand ol' state of New York. (oh, and be prepared for random facts throughout because facts are just cool. They are.)

Let's start with a quick geography lesson, shall we?

That, that is not New York City. That is in fact New York State. Let it be cleared up here and now that New York is a state, a state in which NYC just so happens to be located in, but they are not one in the same. You see up in the Northwest corner by that unlabeled-body-of-water? *Good job whoever said Lake Ontario* My sister whom I am visiting lives somewhere up there. So I did not visit the aforementioned city, not even close. We will not mention that place again.

If I'm going to do this correctly then we have to back up two months to the beginning of the adventure.

My adventure by train began here...

...Union Station

Fact: Union Station first opened its doors in 1911, servicing over 10,000 passengers daily, and is known as "the Beautiful Portal to the Heart of the Commonwealth".

The train ride from Worcester was uneventful but not disagreeable by any means. That is up until...

Albany: a pleasant place?

What was supposed to be a 1-hour stopover in the state capitol quickly turned into more like upwards of 3 hours. Stuck on a train. A train that needed to restock its cafe car. On the upside, it turned out to be a neat experience chatting with fellow stranded passengers and learning their destinations, getting to be a part of their story.

The brochure in front of my seat, I showed this to my dad (who was my traveling companion) and it quickly became our motto. Well done, Amtrak, truer words have never been spoken.

Eventually we did get moving again and I got a cool shot of the skyline. I suppose all-in-all Albany wasn't too bad, considering we made it to our respective destinations before cannibalism became an immediate concern.

Fast forward from the end of March and here we are! I am still in NY but will be returning home again next week, and I must say, it will be good to be home again!

In closing, here are a few observations I've made during my time here. Wait, allow me to bullet them for you.

If I had to describe Syracuse in one word, that word would be rust.

There are seagulls haunting EVERY McDonald's parking lot. Literally. It's a rare occurrence to turn onto the highway entrance ramp and not be bidden farewell from a seagull perched on those infamous golden arches!

Friendly people. They almost make me believe all those cliche lines about "cold, reserved New Englanders "!

Nearly everywhere you look there are daffodils. Like, absolutely everywhere, especially along the highway. I was really surprised when I heard they weren't the state flower!

Fact: The state flower is the Rose. (Of which I haven't seen one)

The Bagel vs. Bagel (bag-gle) controversy. I personally subscribe to the former pronunciation and had never heard this strange alternative until recently. Which do you use, I'm curious?

Fact: Bagels did not originate in NY despite their popularity therein, the first bagels were made in Jewish communities in Poland as early as the 15th century :)

There, I think I've covered everything! If you ever have the opportunity, New York is definitely a nice state to visit! Have you ever been before/lived there?